November21, 2017

WASHINGTON—Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement on the President’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the United States:

“The Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the United States is cruel and inhumane. I visited Haiti following its devastating 2010 earthquake and have been a longtime proponent of U.S. assistance to the island. It sadly seems that whenever the country takes a step forward, natural disasters—like Hurricane Matthew last fall—force it to take a step back. Haiti is simply not in a position to take back the 59,000 Haitians currently living in the United States.

“Unfortunately, President Trump has chosen cruelty over kindness in terminating TPS for so many hardworking Haitian families. The America that I know is a land of acceptance where opportunities are available for one and all. Cutting off TPS for Haitians does not represent who we are as a country.”